Banner Butter: ATL's Own Butter Makers are Churning Out Some Greatness

Did you know that the Rouen Cathedral in France had a “Butter Tower” in the 16th Century, paid by its own residents? They had the right idea. Down here in the South, we understand – butter is practically a food group (along with sweet tea and grits). Banner Butter is taking this tradition to heart by taking butter making back to its roots. By setting the cream out prior to being churned, all of the buttery deliciousness starts to grow within the natural cultures – something not done in mass manufacturing.

Elizabeth McBath and her husband are not only taking the patient way to creamy butter but also, picking out fresh ingredients to jazz it up a bit and make your toast a little less boring. With a goal to banish the pale, their compound butters are going to put your Country Crock to shame – cinnamon, basil, parsley, cardamom are just some of the nifty additions. Because butter should be done the right way.

Now for a special treat, we partnered up with the folks behind Banner Butter to bring you some simple recipes to make this upcoming sweltering heat a bit more bearable.

For an early morning snack:
For a decadent breakfast treat, we recommend that you buy La Calavera Bakery’s Chocolate Babka – a sweet bread with chocolate strewn in and a cinnamon chocolate streusel on top. Pop the bread in the oven. When it’s nice and warm, take it out and then smother with our Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger butter. Jump on the peach craze, and add some heavenly, fresh sliced Georgia peaches on the side.

For a mid-afternoon pick-me-up:
For an early-morning drink, why not jump on the new food trend and bulletproof that coffee? (Wait –what’s bulletproofing?) It’s an ancient way of making your body more energized and your brain more alert.But note that not just any ‘ol coffee or butter will do. You must use good coffee and grass-fed butter. So start with coffee from Octane Coffee or Café Campesino, and then add a bit of our unsalted butter. Undoubtedly it will help you move mountains, trust us.

A treat to end your day:
End your day with an easy breezy, summer dinner. For this, let’s highlight the in-season Georgia tomato. Grab one of Holeman & Finch’s multigrain baguettes. Happily change out your mayonnaise for butter, and spread our Banner’s Roasted Garlic, Basil and Parsley compound on the bread. Then get one of the beautiful, just ripened tomatoes that you bought from a Peachtree Road Farmers Market farmer. Add that to your buttered bread. Add your choice of fresh greens, and top off your sandwich with some of Pine Street Market’s best bacon around. Your BLT just got even better! (It’s okay, we didn’t think it was possible, either.)

Scoutmob contributor Muriel Vega is a lifetime resident of ATL and full-time authorian legend, as well as a pie enthusiast. She has a dog that may be a meme and really loves to travel. You can read more of her work at the website that she co-edits, Common Creativ ATL.